Franchise Notes: Padres, Athletics

Here’s the latest on the upcoming sale of one California team and the possible relocation of another…

MLB has vetted five possible ownership groups for the Padres and the sale of the team could be complete in weeks if not months, Dan Hayes of the North County Times reports. Some of the groups that had interest in buying the Dodgers also appear to have interest in the Padres, which has sped the process up. Some estimate that the Padres will sell for $600-700MM.

Athletics owner Lew Wolff told the San Francisco Chronicle that he doesn't intend to leave the Bay Area. Wolff believes that "there is only one location that'll provide [the A’s with] a badly needed new venue, and that location is … in downtown San Jose." Bud Selig established a committee to examine the Athletics' situation in 2009, but the commissioner said yesterday that there's no timetable for resolution.

The time has come for Wolff to start firing off lawsuits in an attempt to move the Athletics to San Jose or sell the team, ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets.

Comments

I heard that “God” is interested in buying the Padres. Yeah, he was upset several years ago in a “Simpsons” episode because of the fact he lost track of the fact that the St Louis Cardinals had moved to Arizona. So he doesn’t want that to happen again so he is very much interested in buying his beloved San Diego Padres.
Maybe “God” could sway Fox Sports to give the Pods that sweet TV deal that has been rumored recently!

As for the A’s moving to San Jose, does anyone know how the good people of San Jose feel about it? Plus, whatever happened to their fanbase? Funny thing is I was watching the A’s game on “Mother’s Day” and amazingly they had a full house or at least from my view point it was. I hadn’t seen their stadium filled liked that in a long, long, time.

PS One other thing I was fired about even though it has nothing to do with the article. Mickey Hatcher does a great job with Mark Trumbo, yet he gets canned because he doesn’t have answers for the “Great” Albert Pujols. Ridiculous!

Why doesn’t Selig just do the right thing and contract the A’s and Pirates, then move the Rays to Pittsburgh? Pitching is watered down, both clubs have serious stadium issues. Pittsburgh’s ownership can’t seem to do anything right, so just push reset with a proven owner. Oakland and St. Pete have had ample time to resolve their issues and have chosen not to, so for the best of baseball, just do it already.

Think about the fan bases of both teams before posting such an idea. First the players union wouldn’t have it. Second, the A’s outdrew the Giants prior to their new stadium. Contraction doesn’t make sense for the A’s. A new stadium in one of the wealthiest cities in the nation does.

You’re talking about contracting two historic franchises. Not going to happen. The A’s saved the Giants’ bacon in 1993 and are repaid by the Giants intransegence on the S.J. move. The Oakland Masoleum is an absolute disgrace in a terrible neighborhood; the franchise deserves better.

The Pirates, on the other hand, “play” in a nice recently built ballyard. The product on the field is slowingly improving. What if the A’s and Pirates merged and made Beane the chief of personnel?

I agree contract the A’s and the Pirates…. because they haven’t been to the Playoffs for some time… 2006 for the A’s and 1992 for the Pirates… At the same time get rid of the Mets, the Orioles, the Blue Jays, the Nationals, the Marlins, the Indians, the Royals, the Astros, the Cubs, the Mariners, and the Padres. None of them have been to the Playoffs since 2006 either. While we are at it lets contract all of the teams that have gone 6 or 7 years without a winning season. As we all know it is impossible for teams to turn things around.

The politics that goes in the MLB’s office is disgusting. There is no reason to hold up the A’s move to San Jose, aside from the archaic, Giants “pre-television and pre-cable-TV territorial rights” concern. A quick look at regional map of the Bay area suggests that moving the A’s from Oakland to San Jose would actually improve the Giants upper Bay appeal but politics, petty jealousies, or personal animosity seem paramount. What a way to run an industry….!

The Wolf/Fisher ownership group does not have the interest in the game of baseball. Wouldn’t it be more lucrative for their organization to just sell the Oakland Athletics to someone else (Clorox corporation is stating they have the money and interest in owning the team).

Options exist to keep the A’s in Oakland. These options need to remain part of the conversation.

It is a joke. Its unfair to a team that has been around for over 100 years and has brought 4 World Titles to the Bay Area. Of course if this situation was happening in the East/North East it would have been resolved long ago.

According to serveral media sources, there is no substance to an Oakland Ownership group or stadium. The Giants won’t let the A’s move to San Jose. Just move of the same for the A’s. Bad stadium, no fans, no revenue, trading good players for prospects. Everyone in the Bay Area is a Giants fan anyway.

A real baseball fan would not be afraid of what the A’s could do if they had the Payroll the Giants throw out there each year. Its funny to see how the thought of a new stadium does to intimidate the Giants brass, fans, LuSeal……
Zito, Rowand, Huff, DeRosa, Shanchez. Just think of the players the A’s could have kept if they had half of what the Giants spend yearly on suck.

Why don’t the Giants move to San Jose,have the A’s pay for a new stadium in San Jose and let the A’s play in Frisco,Isn’t that what the Giants want…? The Giants wants San Jose so bad they should give frisco to the A’s.